Equivalent Ranks?

[stevedrew]

Forumites,
When the RFC and the RNAS amalgamated on 1 April 1918 to become the RAF, were flying officer's ranks AUTOMATICALLY altered to a RAF rank to make the service consistent, or were they allowed to claim the rank that they were promoted to? The reason I ask : Robert Little, Australia's finest fighter, was a Flight Commander when RFC/RNAS became RAF, but is often referred to as a Captain. Did his rank automatically change to Captain, surely it couldn't be a matter of choice - not in the military!

'Flight Commander' is a position rather than a rank and would typically have been filled by a Flight Lieutenant. The equivalent position in the army is Captain.
vbr.jon.

[Vin]

The AFC became the RAAF in 1923 by virtue of the Air Force Act. The Defence Act required the Chief of Army, by written instrument, to transfer the appointment of the Army officer to the Air Force and to specify the rank that the officer was to hold in the Air Force. Army service rendered by the officer was taken to have been rendered as if rendered in the Air Force. The Chief of Army could determine what rank the Army officer would have in the Air Force. Common sense would dictate that the ranks would be equivalent. It is possible that regulations under the Defence Act would deal with the equivalence of the ranks. By law, the rank adopted, then, was Air Force rank. You would think that the same would have occurred on the transformation of the RFC/RNAS to RAF. Maybe not.


In air combat reports, Little is described, variously as “Flight Sub-Lieutenant”, until May 1917; “Flight Lieutenant” in June and early July 1917.; “Acting Flight Commander” in late July. In April - May 1918 (after the amalgamation), he is described as Flight Commander. T B A Gravis says that in Little’s squadron, 3 RNAS, which became 203 RAF, most officers retained their navy uniforms and resented the change.

It looks like Flight Commander was a navel rank and Flight Lieutenant, in the navy, was a lesser rank than Flight Commander. It also looks like the navel ranks continued to be used, perhaps informally anyway, after the amalgamation, at least in the former RNAS squadrons.



Vin

[Vin]

My apologies to oranges, stomachs and members of the senior service.


Vin

[Vin]

..and Jim

[PeterL]

RAF ranks didn't settle down to what they are now until the twenties, initialy there were some very strange ranks indeed. Captain though was not one of them AFAIK.

[Vin]

There must have been an official list of ranks somewhere, used after April. Order of Battle ? Anyone ?


Vin